Pitcher
1 of 3
Object Label
Christopher Dresser (1835–1906)
Christopher Dresser, one of the foremost independent industrial designers of the nineteenth century, produced an amazing array of forward-looking designs in ceramic, metal, textile, wallpapers, carpets, and furniture as a freelancer for leading firms such as Wedgwood and Minton. He was trained as a botanist and searched for the underlying geometry in nature, as seen in the floral decoration of the soup plate here. He also hoped to realize the promise of the Industrial Revolution to make well-designed products available to as large an audience as possible, often using inexpensive materials: the radically simplified design of the jug here is realized in silver plate rather than silver, and the soup plate is earthenware rather than porcelain. Although we look back at Dresser’s designs—particularly the iconic forms of the jug and toast rack—as prescient examples of protomodernism, the prevailing taste of his time and for decades after was for historically inspired, traditional designs such as the elaborate pitcher here (given by the postal workers of East Liverpool, Ohio, to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905).
Caption
Knowles Taylor and Knowles 1870–1929. Pitcher, ca. 1905. Glazed semi-vitreous procelain, 27 x 9 x 7 5/8 in. (68.6 x 22.9 x 19.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Estate of Mary Hayward Weir, by exchange, 2009.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2009.8_side1_PS6.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Manufacturer
Title
Pitcher
Date
ca. 1905
Medium
Glazed semi-vitreous procelain
Classification
Dimensions
27 x 9 x 7 5/8 in. (68.6 x 22.9 x 19.4 cm)
Markings
Underneath, printed in blue, center: [company logo], "SEMIVITREOUS PORCELAIN"/ [illegible]; painted in gold, in script above logo " Presented to / President Theodore Roosevelt/ by the / Crockery City Branch, No. 577,/ national association of Letter Carriers,/ East Liverpool, Ohio" continuing painted in gold, in script below logo " Manufactured by/ Knowles, Taylor and Knowles Company,/ Potters,/ East Liverpool, Ohio."
Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Mary Hayward Weir, by exchange
Accession Number
2009.8
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at